Feds Failing To Act On Antibiotic Resistance Despite Grave Threat, Health Advocates Warn

[G_j]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/antibiotic-resistance-livestock-lawsuit-nrdc_n_5621299.html

Public health advocates are fuming over a new court ruling that they say could hasten the coming of the next pandemic.

In a 2-1 decision released Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration need not consider banning the use of antibiotics in healthy food-producing animals.

"We believe that this decision allows dangerous practices known to threaten human health to continue," said Avinash Kar, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Adding antibiotics to farm animals' feed, day after day, is not what we should be doing. It's not what the doctor ordered and it should not be allowed."

In March 2012, a federal court ruled that the FDA must act on scientific knowledge that the overuse of antibiotics in animals raised for food has contributed to the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. That decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by the NRDC concerning findings made by the FDA back in 1977. Feeding livestock low doses of penicillin and most tetracyclines, the agency had concluded, might pose a risk to human health. The FDA never acted on or retracted those findings.

"This is a first and important step," Kar told The Huffington Post in 2012. "But the fight is not completely won."

Kar's remark proved prescient with this week's court decision. Thursday's finding overturns two district court rulings in cases brought by the NRDC and other groups that would have compelled the FDA to withdraw approval for most non-therapeutic uses of penicillin and tetracyclines in livestock -- unless drug makers could prove those substances were safe.

..more..

[ck4829]

1. Why? Because something like this would require universal healthcare

In addition to ceasing adding antibiotics to animal feed, we can also mix antibiotics together as bacteria can not seem to handle simultaneous antibiotics as well as bacteriophage therapy. We will also need to make sure everyone is protected from antibiotic resistant bacteria, regardless of their ability to pay for treatment.

All of those things above can be implemented, but we would rather kill ourselves than harm the interests of our Mr. Krabs-esque economic system we have today.

[appal_jack]

2. Short sighted, corrupt, ignorant judicial activists...

Short sighted, corrupt, ignorant judicial activists legislating from the bench on behalf of their corporate overlords.

Where, oh where are the howls of indignation against 'judicial activism by the rw now?

Massive k&r. Public health matters. The next pandemic ain't gonna be a walk in the park.

-app

[Moostache]

3. I have spent my career working with antibiotics...this is as big a deal as it gets.

To anyone who might be inclined to think this is just more alarmism, or not really a big deal; just think back to any time in your life that you were prescribed antibiotics for strept-throat or given prophylactic antibiotics before surgery or had to take a Z-pak due to an upper respiratory infection. Then realize that all of those applications of antibiotics are endangered due to increasing prevalence of resistant bacteria along with many, many more that are far more serious and deadly.

The entirety of our civilization is in taters because of worshipping money and prioritizing "profits" over all else. Ecosystems are failing. The atmosphere is changing to alter our global climate and weather patterns. The stages of a mass extinction are already being recognized. And the war between bacteria and humanity is tipping irrevocably against us. But hey, corporate profits are at all time highs and most of our politicians are so bought and paid for that they cannot be bothered to notice what they are doing...

[G_j]

5. yep

in a nutshell...

[Plucketeer]

4. I almost lost my legs to infection 26 years ago.

Had it not been for the "big guns" of antibiotics at that time, I might not even be here to tell of that ordeal. I keep having sporadic relapses and the Cephalexin I keep on hand has been my trump card so far. But I live with the nagging notion that one of these times the bugs are gonna have me. I'm not afraid of dying, but I sure don't wanna do it in the fashion I had a horribly painful preview of!

[GeorgeGist]

6. Now the courts are adjudicating science?

Stick a fork in US. We're too stupid to survive.

[MoonRiver]

8. That's a fact.

[davidn3600]

7. Mother Nature always wins in the end

There will be a day when the age of antibiotics will end. Evolution makes it an inevitability. Hopefully we have some other means to treat infections when that day arrives.

[TheDebbieDee]

9. Truth be told -

The feds arent reacting cuz they cant get funding!